Rules for Using Materials in the SCRC

Specific rules apply to researchers who wish to use materials housed in the Special Collections Research Center.

To conduct research in the SCRC, researchers must first complete the Researcher Registration Form and provide positive identification. A driver’s license or photo ID is required.

Personal items (hats, coats, briefcases, parcels, purses, and other items not essential for research) must be stored in the reading room cupboard. Only note-taking materials and tools essential to research will be permitted on tabletops.

No smoking, eating, or drinking is permitted in the research and exhibit areas of the SCRC. As a courtesy to staff and other patrons, please turn off cell phones and pagers. Please leave the building to use your cell phone.

All material must be used in the SCRC Reading Room between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Requests for most SCRC materials require a minimum of 24 hours to be fulfilled. Please consult a staff member before scheduling your next visit. Items requested before 1 p.m. will be available for use after 8:30 a.m. the next day. Items requested after 1 p.m. will be available after 8:30 a.m. two days following the initial request. Items requested after 1 p.m. Friday may not be available until Tuesday morning. Other materials requiring advance notice include any items from the McCoy Freedom of the Press Collection (call numbers beginning “MC”), photographs, ephemera, some periodicals, and archival copies of theses, dissertations, and research papers.

Some materials may only be used under the direct supervision of SCRC staff.

Extreme care should be exercised when handling any item. Please use supports supplied by SCRC staff as appropriate.

Notes must be taken in pencil on loose leaf paper. SCRC supplies loose leaf paper to researchers requiring it. Pens are not allowed in the reading room. Special arrangements may be made for the use of laptop computers, digital cameras, sound recording devices, and other equipment.

Absolutely no marking of or writing upon any SCRC materials is permitted.

While researchers may request several items from the Rare Book Collections during a visit to SCRC, only one item may be used at any time. Please return an item when you are finished with it and SCRC staff will exchange it for another item.

Researchers will be given one box/package from manuscript or archival collections at a time. Remove only one folder at a time. Do not remove items from folders. When you are ready for another box, let a staff member know.

The order and arrangement of the papers must be maintained. If you discover an error in the arrangement or description of a collection, please call it to the attention of a staff member. Do not rearrange items yourself.

Photocopies will be made only by SCRC staff. To request copies, please fill out the appropriate form. Restrictions placed on some collections by the donor may limit the ability to provide copies. Copyright restrictions also may apply to certain correspondence. Entire collections or large portions may not be reproduced. SCRC reserves the right to refuse to allow copying of items.

Photocopies are for personal research only, and are not to be further reproduced without written permission of SCRC. Copies may not be placed in another institution or given to another researcher. Researchers are requested to return all copies to SCRC at the end of their research.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure permission from both SCRC and the holders of copyright of material in the collections before publication. Permission to photocopy does not constitute permission to publish the copied item.

A published work using these materials as sources must acknowledge this library. A citation should include the following information: (Name of Collection), Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale. “Published work,” used here, refers to seminar or term papers, theses, dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, electronic or other forms prepared for a limited or general public.

Failure to Abide by the Above Rules is Sufficient Cause to Revoke SCRC Use Privileges.